The present relates to a method for determining the torque of a worm of a solid-bowl worm centrifuge having a drum. The worm is rotatable at a different rotational speed from that of the drum, both of which are driven via a gear arrangement by a common single drive motor via one or more belt drives.
Whereas it has been possible to determine the measurement of the worm torque in dual-motor operation via the power consumption or current consumption of the secondary motor, in solid-bowl worm centrifuges with single-motor operation an approximate indication of the worm torque has hitherto been possible only in special cases with constant operating conditions by an estimate on the basis of the main motor current. This estimate is relatively inaccurate and, moreover, is not always or in all cases possible.
The present disclosure relates to embodiments that solve the problem.
The present disclosure thus relates to a method for determining the torque of a worm of a solid bowl worm centrifuge. The solid bowl worm centrifuge includes a rotatable drum and a rotatable worm, the rotatable worm being rotatable at a different rotational speed than that of the rotatable drum. The rotatable drum and rotatable worm are driven via a gear arrangement and a common single drive motor via at least one belt drive, a driving belt pulley, a driven belt pulley and a belt coupling the pulley. The method steps include determining a slip of the at least once belt drive and calculating a torque based upon the determination of the slip.
Additional disclosure may be found in the claims that are part of the present disclosure.
The torque of the worm is determined by determining the slip of a belt drive, by which the torque is introduced into the gear.
This type of determination is simple and uncomplicated, but is also sufficiently accurate for control tasks.
This torque determination by determining the slip of the belt drive can be used for indication purposes and, where appropriate, can also be employed for manual or electronic control or for overload cutoff.
The method for determining torque, according to the present disclosure, includes various drive variations, for example, for various drive and gear embodiments shown in FIGS. 1-3 utilizing a single drive motor.
According to the present disclosure, it may be advantageous if, in determining the torque, an idling torque or the torque present when the step-up i12 is determined is taken into account.
Other aspects of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following descriptions when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.